Top 50 Video Games: Number 39

Stats of Import
Platform: iPod/iPhone/Android Mobile Phone
Absurdly Specific Genre: Avian Rage-based Porcine Evaporation Apparatus
Difficulty: 3
Beaten: I had, but then they added a bunch of new levels, and I haven't beaten those yet.

That 'whoosh' sound you hear is likely this list losing all of its credibility. Angry Birds? Better than Goldeneye? Better than Mega Man 2?? Maybe not, but these furious little avian projectiles pierced my armor like no other 'casual' game before it. Generally speaking, I find truly casual games an interesting diversion for a little while, but none of them ever capture my attention for more than about a week. When I was first exposed (and, like a viral infection, 'exposed' is definitely the right word) to the game in Christmas 2009, I found myself unable to stop playing. I beat all 60+ levels in a little under 3 hours, then started looking for a system that I could play Angry Birds on.

How could I resist? It's an angry bird - launching himself at little wood houses... to kill pigs. What's not to like??

The game itself is beautiful in its simplicity. The different birds explode, bombard, trifurcate, and otherwise launch themselves into the pig fortress' various different building materials in an effort to ensure that no pigs survive (a worthy goal, I suppose). My two year old niece has played Angry Birds, my mother has played Angry Birds, my grandmother is vaguely aware of Angry Birds' existence. A more elitist gamer might deny how damn much fun the whole thing is. Such gamers would only be fooling themselves. There's a reason this game is as well-loved as it is.

It's just good.

Except Boomerang Bird, no one loves Boomerang Bird.